On a Tuesday evening in late September, the lobby of the Lakeside Theater fills with parents clutching coffee cups and young dancers stretching in leg warmers. They're waiting for the first open rehearsal of the season—a ritual that has defined autumn in Little Round Lake City for nearly three decades. This is not a city one typically associates with ballet. With a population of just 48,000 and a reputation built more on manufacturing than the arts, Little Round Lake City nevertheless sustains three distinct ballet schools, each with its own philosophy, alumni network, and fiercely loyal following.
The city's dance roots trace back to 1987, when former American Ballet Theatre soloist Eleanor Voss retired here and began teaching in a converted church basement. Her students eventually founded two of the schools below. What began as one woman's post-career project has since produced dancers for regional companies across the Midwest and a performing arts economy that contributes an estimated $2.3 million annually to the local tax base.
The Elite Ballet Academy
Founded: 1995 | Ages: 8–22 | Tuition: $3,200–$4,800/year
The Elite Ballet Academy occupies a former textile warehouse on the city's north side, its sprung floors installed by the same crew that built studios for the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. Founded by Eleanor Voss's former student Patricia Okonkwo, the academy hews closely to the Vaganova method, with a mandatory three-week summer intensive and a youth company that performs two full-length productions annually.
What distinguishes Elite is its track record of placing students into professional-track programs. Alumni have joined the trainee divisions of Joffrey Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet II, and Kansas City Ballet II. The 2024 Winter Variations showcase sold out the 400-seat Lakeside Theater in 48 hours.
"We're not interested in being the only school in town," says Okonkwo, now in her 29th year as director. "We're interested in being the school that tells you the truth about whether this career is possible for you—and then gives you the tools to pursue it if it is."
Notable programs: Pre-professional division (by audition), summer intensive with guest faculty from major U.S. companies, annual Winter Variations and Spring Repertory performances.
The Graceful Swan School of Ballet
Founded: 2003 | Ages: 3–18 | Tuition: $1,800–$3,200/year
If Elite is the pressure cooker, Graceful Swan is the slow simmer. Founder Maria Chen left a corporate career to build a school centered on what she calls "ballet as emotional literacy." Classes cap at 12 students. Chen meets with each family twice yearly to map individual progress. The school does not audition for its youth productions; instead, Chen casts based on "who needs the growth that role demands."
The approach has attracted families who value longevity over early specialization. Graceful Swan students tend to stay enrolled longer than the citywide average—6.2 years compared to 3.8—and the school has built a reputation for successfully retaining boys in ballet through adolescence.
"We don't audition for our youth company," Chen says. "We look at who is ready to be challenged, who needs to learn collaboration, who is standing at the edge of confidence and needs a push."
Notable programs: Storybook Ballet series for ages 3–7, boys' scholarship program, annual Swan Festival featuring student-choreographed works.
The Dynamic Pointe Dance Studio
Founded: 2012 | Ages: 10–25 | Tuition: $2,400–$3,600/year
The youngest of the three schools, Dynamic Pointe operates out of a converted storefront downtown with exposed brick walls and a sound system more typical of a contemporary dance company than a classical academy. Founder Jordan Reyes, a former dancer with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, built the curriculum as a deliberate bridge between ballet technique and contemporary dance's emphasis on individual voice.
Students here take mandatory composition classes and are required to choreograph at least one piece before graduation from the senior program. The studio's annual Contemporary Ballet Festival, launched in 2016, now draws guest artists from Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis and has become a scouting opportunity for college dance programs.
Reyes describes the studio's philosophy in practical terms: "By the time they leave us, they can walk into a ballet class or a contemporary audition and not look lost. That's rarer than people think."
Notable programs: Choreography and composition sequence, Contemporary Ballet Festival, cross-training in Gaga technique and contact improvisation.
How to Choose—and What Comes Next
The three schools are not competitors so much as complementary ecosystems. Elite feeds the professional pipeline. Graceful Swan builds lifelong movers and audiences. Dynamic Point
